Idyllic Quiet

kylar fritz

It was like waking up from a dream. Soft and slow, like the first sip of warm coffee or the feeling of sunshine dappling your back and arms. There was a sweetness to it, and it enveloped every sensation that sank back into the young woman's body. First was the twitch of an ear, then the subtle wrinkle of a nose. Her paw fidgeted, brushing against the black and white of her wife's. Deep breaths grew shallow as, steadily, Kylar returned to the waking world. Dark lashes fluttered, revealing ruby-red eyes that squinted in the afternoon sun.

How long had it been since they had taken an afternoon nap?

Leaning to the right, Kylar pressed her temple against Nephele's. Lazily, her gaze flitted over the moss and plush grass that lined their den. They had moved into it recently, what with the weather growing colder. And the war. Though little bloodshed had found the Lowlands, it had still been prudent to tuck one's self away at night. Now, the worst was over. Their last batch of wounded soldiers had been rehabilitated and sent back to serve and they were... free to rest.

Free to recover.

The kids were old enough to wander and at times, Kylar stole away with her wife to share those precious moments of domestic intimacy. And in this particular one, she was inclined to savor it.

Her jaws stretched wide in a yawn and a small smile sat upon her lips soon after. "Peace at last," she murmured.

@Nephele

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Nephele was just as eager as her wife to step in and sacrifice whatever time she had to aid the wounded. It had filled her with a sense of purpose and confidence that the sheltered girl had never known before. She worked tirelessly using Kylar’s carefully grown herbs into healing poultices. Her gentle heart quivered at the thought of violence, but she did not shy away from her duties. She would show her children that there were other ways to help without fighting. It was well past the morning when she realised she was dead on her paws. The pair curled up together in a blissful ball of snuggles and sweet dreams. She withdrew from her slumber when she felt Kylar’s body stir to life. A sulky whine passed through her lips that was silenced by the gentle touch of Kylar’s head against hers. She tilted her muzzle upwards and with a soft contented sigh planted a sweet kiss on the side of her wife’s cheek. "Hey you," she said softly, a serene smile lining her lips together. Her ears perked up at the sound of Kylar’s yawn and she felt the urge to join her, jaws opening wide to let out a sleepy exhale. "Is it late?" she wondered, feeling a slight bubble of anxiety in her belly for their children. Without her eyes to see the position of the sun in the sky she could only rely upon the wind and the temperature to provide her with clues, but the cooler the days the less reliable her methods were. @Kylar ""

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kylar fritz

Since when had Nephele's kisses elicited more warmth than butterflies? It felt like yesterday that Kylar had been a puddle of nerves hooked up to electrical wire. Every time the small wolf had drifted close, sparks would fly and Kylar would be shocked into sudden silence or stupidity or both. Now, Kylar sank into bed with Nephele without a second thought. Waking up without her would be more surprising than waking up beside her, yet there had been a time when it had been difficult to sleep. Every brush of fur and every accidental touch had been enough to send Kylar's heart pounding. Now, the only thing pounding were 9 month old puppy paws as their pups played somewhere out in the garden.

"Hello," she murmured in answer, sighing contentedly.

Though her heart was not in a frenzy, her love for Nephele was not proportionate to her anxiety. If anything, without the nerves to cause her to clam up, Kylar had been able to form a deeper and more permanent bond with Nephele than with any other wolf in her life. Anteros included. Such a thought would have baffled her two years prior, but now it was the truth, blunt and plain. She loved Nephele more than anything else in this world, save for her children of course, and she had absolute faith in the certainty of it all.

No trial, no tribulation, would separate them.

"Only the afternoon," Kylar murmured softly, uncurling her forelegs to stretch. "Don't worry, you'll still have time to water your chamomile." Or any of the other plants that needed to be cradled through the crisp months.

@Nephele

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It had taken many repetitions for Nephele to perfect the art of kissing her wife without spontaneously combusting alongside her, but she had not outgrown the flutters just yet. The spark between them had not dimmed, but rather brightened into the flames of a true romance. Where there was once uncertainty and fear there was overwhelming love and trust. Nephele did not need eyes to see that Kylar felt the same way as she did. They were a pair now in wedded bliss and not just that, but they were mothers. Nephele could not deny how warm she felt when she listened to Kylar tending to their children. Her family. It amazed her how much she loved them all, that she was capable of loving so deeply when she had never been given that love as a child. Her brother had been all that she had, but now that he was gone this family was a gift. Nephele wanted to stay curled up besides Kylar for the rest of the day, but there was still much to do. She relaxed when Kylar informed her that there was still daylight to burn as reluctant as she was to begin doing chores. “Just a bit longer,” she whined, resting her head against Kylar’s side. She was dangerously close to nodding off again when Kylar mentioned the chamomile. It was a delicate little herb, something that they had both worked hard to nurture through the colder months and it was only getting colder. Her brow wrinkled in silent protest, but she thrust herself to her paws and flashed Kylar a warm smile. “I’ll need to go out to collect some more moss later,” she informed her. Nephele was still nervous to go out by herself, but she wasn’t struck with terror like she had been before. Most things were only a short walk away and she was getting better at mentally mapping their home. “But...I was thinking we could...” Nephele suggested softly, unable to help the shyness that crept into her voice as she danced around asking her wife out on a date. “If you want to go.. there’s some flowers I found. I was hoping you could tell me about them,” she asked, paws lightly twitching against the earth in anticipation of a happy dance. @Kylar ""

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kylar fritz

It was easy to pretend that she was the awake one when Nephele was whining, unwilling to rise to her paws or get up. But, when it came time to rise up and greet the sunlight, Kylar was usually the last to trundle out. She sighed slightly, ears flicking back and a soft I don't want to reflecting in her eyes. It was her turn to protest, to resist the end of their idyllic quiet.

More moss would be good. Kylar resisted the urge to call Anthe or Willa for the job, knowing that they'd have to do something today. "Would you like me to go with you?" The she-wolf's head canted to the side as she shifted her paws, balancing her weight on the healthy three. She eased onto her left side and pressed up, sliding her shoulder against the den's wall. Though she'd have a couple dust clods to shake off later, she was at least standing.

"But..." Nephele began and Kylar's ears would have perked if there had been any space left between her head and the ceiling.

“If you want to go.. there’s some flowers I found. I was hoping you could tell me about them,” Kylar's wife murmured, voice hushing with excitement. Down below, white paws danced eagerly. "I see you took Willoughby's lessons to heart," the tawny wolf said with a laugh, unable to conceal the warmth from her voice. Her smile reached her eyes and she leaned forward to brush her nose against Nephele's cheek. "Let's go, you have a great nose for these things. I bet they'll be beautiful and useful." Just like Nephele was. Though the small wolf had been raised to believe that she was only fit to be a sacrifice, Nephele was so... so much more.

She was the sun and stars, the moon and clouds.

@Nephele

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There was a certain rhythm to the tapping of her paws. She pranced to the beat of her heart which grew steadily more excited. It delighted her when Kylar offered to accompany her in her quest for moss. Nephele wondered if her wife could tell that she was still nervous about going further than the confines of their home and the college lands. With any luck the oak trees would be growing enough moss at the roots to stock up their stores. Along the way she could show Kylar the wonderful flowers she had stumbled upon the day before. She wondered if their children knew of them. They were unique enough to capture Nephele's attention and fill her with childish joy. Kylar's sharp eyes noticed her little dance and mentioned their old friend. She smiled fondly, soft cheeks puffing out and wrinkling the corners of her eye sockets. "So did you. You sing in your sleep sometimes," she teased, brushing her cheek against the nose that gently touched her. "It's so cute," she giggled, and gave her a quick kiss on the nose. Nephele followed her love out into the sunshine and shook out her bed fur. A wild tuft of fur stuck up behind her ear, but otherwise her black and white coat fell into its natural place. She led the way to the place she wanted to share with Kylar with a spring in her step. She stopped several paces from a field of white puffball dandelions ready to release their seeds. She crouched down and brushed her muzzle against the feathery seeds. "They're so fluffy! Are they really flowers, Ky? They smell like flowers," she chattered excitedly about a flower that was so commonplace most wolves had played with them as pups, but not a sheltered girl like Nephele. She knew they would have to get back and tend to the chamomile at some point, but it was only the afternoon. They had a whole day to finish their chores. @Kylar ""

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kylar fritz

S-sing...? Kylar... sang... in her sleep? Ruby eyes grew round as black-tipped ears suddenly were red as hot pokers fresh from the fireplace. Heat scorched along her cheeks and her mouth parted to form a small o as her mind took a second to process this information. If homunculi were real, then within her brain were a thousand mini Kylar's desperately searching for the culprit. Was it the tone deaf sprite? The over-active imagination sprite? Who needed to be punished for this horrifying habit!?

Cute? Kylar stiffened slightly and whined in protest as Nephele leaned in. "I do not!" Her voice was indignant though she had never known her wife to lie. Tease, maybe, but that was a trait both seemed to have picked up from their bouncing baby boy.

A quick kiss on the nose was all Kylar received and she glanced away, lips pursing as she stole a moment to pout. Although Kylar wasn't tone deaf, she was no singer. The thought of breathily mumbling nonsense to a rhythm at night made her horribly embarrassed. But, as they made their way out into the fields out past their garden, her shame steadily melted away.

Kylar was learning to laugh at herself little by little.

When they arrived at the patch of blooming dandelions, Kylar couldn't help but giggle. It was especially hilarious to see some of the seeds stick to her wife's muzzle and cling to the black and white fur. "They're kind of like flowers," she said through another laugh while settling onto her belly. "They're dandelions ready to seed! The golden petals are gone and what you're feeling is the dandelion fluff. Each seed is attached to one and if you blow on it, they'll scatter and plant more!"

She leaned in and rubbed her head against Nephele's shoulder. "Scatter some, but if you blow on it, you have to make a wish."

@Nephele

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She could not contain an adoring smile when Kylar protested against her apparent nighttime habits. It made her want to smother her wife’s cheeks in kisses. Kylar did not know how adorable she was. Nephele would have reminded her of the fact, but she wanted to be gentle with her teasing. It wasn’t something she had done with Kylar very often and she wasn’t sure if it was something Kylar was comfortable with. The moment of impishness passed and Kylar had a smooth recovery much to Nephele’s relief. She was soon distracted by the soft puffballs sticking to her muzzle and nose. Her jaws opened, tongue lolling happily and tail wagging as she brushed her body against more and more of the fluffy dandelions. Kylar explained that they were a type of flower ready to seed. Her ears perked up when she suggested that she blow on them and make a wish. She let out a happy sigh at the touch of Kylar's head against her shoulder and leaned closer. Her soft features wrinkled as she tried to think of something that she might want. “Hmmm… I don’t know,” she murmured, brow creased in deep frown.“I don’t really want anything. I have a beautiful wife and three wonderful children. I couldn't wish for anything more,” she said, face growing soft and tender even with the multitude of dandelion seeds stuck to her face and the soft blush that warmed her cheeks. She was truly happy with her life. Nothing could ever compare to what she had now @Kylar ""

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kylar fritz

Nephele was quickly becoming a dandelion of her own. Her dark fur was studded with seeds and the the soft swish-swish of her tail melded with the breeze and birdsong. She was the picture of childish joy, of happiness and warmth, and Kylar found herself melting. Slowly at first, then overwhelmingly so. Her heart swelled until it felt like it would burst. Tears, oddly enough, leaped to the corners of her eyes. Her cheeks felt hot and a lopsided smile found her face.

“I don’t really want anything. I have a beautiful wife and three wonderful children. I couldn't wish for anything more,” Nephele murmured.
"Yeah..." Kylar breathed, sniffling a little. Bringing up a paw, she brushed her nose before shaking her head and clearing her throat. "I understand."

Blinking the happy tears from her eyes, she leaned her weight into Nephele—gently at first before it became an impish shove. Kylar aimed to roll her wife over and "pin her" by laying on top, forelegs resting upon Nephele's shoulders and paws alongside her cheeks. If she was successful, she'd press her nose against her wife's and sink back into that bubbly warmth, that ocean of love in which she was so constantly drowning.

"I agree."

@Nephele

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Her ears were attuned to every little sigh and sniffle that passed through Kylar’s lips. She heard the wet noise of a sticky nose and worry creased her brow. Was Kylar reacting to the dandelions? She knew that sometimes flowers could have that effect on people. What Nephele didn’t realise was that her open and genuine love for Kylar sometimes caused her to implode. “Ky? Are you oka- Wah!” she squeaked in surprise when her legs crumpled beneath her and she was suddenly wrapped in the warmth of her wife’s embrace. She didn’t panic or freeze when the unexpected weight settled on her back and shoulders. She surrendered to the warmth and sank into the flowers. Her face was pushed into the dandelions and some of the seeds found their way into her mouth. Her muzzle wrinkled in distaste and she spat them out. I agree. Such simple little words caused Nephele to flush full of the familiar butterflies and tingles that Kylar was often the cause of. She knew now that this feeling was love and instead of fearing it she welcomed it. Warm cheeks brushed against hers and she felt a slight wetness against hers. Was Kylar crying? It wasn't the dandelions… was it? “I-I’m sorry,” she apologised hastily, awkwardly trying to dry her wife’s cheeks with her own. “I didn’t mean to make you cry,” she breathed out, head tilting upwards towards Kylar. She guessed they were happy tears. She wouldn’t let the nagging voice in her head convince her that Kylar was unhappy with what she’d said. They had been through too much together for Nephele to let her doubts ruin this moment. @Kylar ""

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